1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile telecommunications networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to transmitting signals between end-user clients and application servers for troubleshooting and other useful purposes.
2. Background of the Invention
As the integration between mobile services and internet services develops, mobile operators are providing more internet-like services. Since customers are downloading increasingly large amounts of data from mobile networks, there is a need for more sophisticated error reporting and customer services.
Internet usage is becoming more widespread and computers are becoming increasingly smaller and portable. Thus, there exists a growing vacuum for wireless handheld devices that can access multimedia and online resources. This vacuum is being filled from various directions in the form of faster data-transfer protocols, stronger standardization between technologies, increasingly powerful wireless devices, and large amounts of investment by cellular operators in ensuring that their networks can implement these technologies. What opportunities were once solely in the realm of the internet are now opening up in the cellular or mobile world. Already, media file downloading has become a lucrative business model. With the increasing availability of MP3 files, JPG images, and other resources for download, more cellular telephones are being used as portable music players, photo albums, video cameras, game consoles, etc. As the internet and cellular worlds merge, there is a growing need for smoother communication between devices and networks, and for cellular operators to be on top of things in terms of understanding common problems and providing better customer service.
In response to this growing integration, mobile telephone technology has come a long way from the 1st generation of analog cellular phones, known as 1G. The second generation, 2G, was based on 100% digital transmissions. This allowed for the transfer of both voice and data, including SMS and email. The most enduring standard of 2G has been the Global System for Mobile Communications, or GSM. GPRS technology was added to the GSM framework in 2.5G (en route to today's 3G). This paved the road for increasing use of the Internet over cellular phones. GPRS allowed packet-switching, allowing more efficient data transfer than 2G's circuit switching. Alongside 3G came increased bandwidth/frequencies for data-only, with lower incremental cost.
In defining the 3G standard, The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has standardized several network, signaling, and transport protocols. A good example of one such standardization is the network architecture of the IP Multimedia system (IMS). IMS basically describes a system by which mobile operators can offer and charge for discrete services that are usually available on the internet, alongside current services being offered. This architecture works with any packet-switching network, is IP-based, and therefore has tremendous potential for services like VoIP, push-to-talk, videoconferencing, IM, presence information, etc. An example of a standardized signaling protocol is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP allows two elements in a network to find each other and open lines of communication easily, and is a significant part of IMS.
Currently the system is not as robust as a proper IP-based system such as the internet. If for any reason a customer is dissatisfied with a mobile internet service, it is not an easy task to report the problem. There has been a boom in the “push” part of the content delivery business, but two-way transfer between the customer and the mobile operator is still underdeveloped.
When dealing with media resources, the mobile operator should ideally be aware of any problems in their resource database. Typical examples of these problems include, but are not limited to, poor quality media, faulty/corrupted files, packet losses in transmission, mislabeled or non-existent media resources, offensive media resources and bottlenecks in the system.
Unfortunately, the symptoms of these problems are most often experienced on the customer's end. At this point, the mobile operator will benefit if the customer can report these symptoms to the operator. However, at present, this process is laborious and is cost and time-inefficient in many ways. This is because there are additional costs to the customer; the customer usually has to call the mobile operator, and wait to be routed to the correct person; the customer cannot provide all precise relevant information required, such as media type, exact time, error details, etc.; and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems are frustrating to use for most customers. There are additional costs to the operator as well, including: special equipment to monitor media resources 24/7; increased staff to handle customer complaints; and overall lower level of customer satisfaction.
In summary, telephone or communications companies cannot provide high quality service when they cannot fix small problems quickly. Thus, there is a need for a simple and efficient method to inform mobile operators about potential problems with their media resources; a method that requires almost no work at all on the customer's part, and that could actually incentivize the customer to report the problem.